January 7, 2019
Montana Western’s Fine Arts Gallery concluded the fall semester with a faculty driven art show themed “Make No Mistake,” on Dec. 13, 2018. The opening reception for the exhibit included live music by UMW Professor Brent McCabe.
The show featured full-time UMW Fine Arts faculty members Eva Mastandrea, Michael Hengler, and Aja Mujinga Sherrard in addition to visiting faculty Crista Ann Ames, Karl Schwiesow, Nathaniel Freeman, Suzy Kitman and Tyler Nansen.
Mastandrea’s painting titled “…none made” is a large swath of parchment paper with characters painted on it. Her artwork made a play on the theme of the show because the language the characters belong to is unknown. This piece challenges individuals to make no mistake in assuming their origin.
Sherrard channeled a feeling of chaos while creating her watercolor piece titled “maelstrom.” By emptying her mind using repetitive and overwhelming mundane gestures, Sherrard was able to bring the inspiration to life.
“An element of sublime comes through the density of small detail and an incomplete form now has authority,” she explained about her painting.
Freeman is an artist, designer, and educator based out of Missoula, whose work is fundamentally concerned with the complex relationship of materials, society and its technologies. His piece, a sculpture made of wood and aluminum titled “push,” embodies this concept.
“I pushed materials together that don’t really mesh,” said Freeman. The process behind creating this artwork consisted of building a large mold of wood, placing aluminum over it, and then setting the whole sculpture on fire.
Sherrard hopes that students and aspiring artists who attended the exhibit where able to gather a broader range for creative inspiration.
The spring semester will continue to feature additional works by guest and student artists with the first Fine Arts Gallery visiting artist of the year featuring UMW alumna Madeline Scott. Her photo exhibit titled “The Lucky Ones,” will be on display January 14-February 12.
For more information about the Fine Arts Gallery, please contact Aja Mujinga Sherrard at [email protected].
